Bead types compared — glass, gemstone, pearl, crystal and metal

Pick up a bead blindfolded and your fingers already know its family: weight,
temperature, texture. Here is what each family offers a maker.

Glass — the versatile backbone

Pressed glass, Czech glass, lampwork art beads, Miyuki delicas. Huge colour
range, mid weight, affordable. Watch for sharp drill holes on cheap pressed
beads — a quick file or a seed-bead buffer saves the thread.

Gemstone — the honest heavyweight

Real stone: heavier, cool to the touch, every bead slightly unique. Hardness
decides job assignment (see the gemstone beads guide).
Prices vary wildly with treatment and quality — ask questions, buy from
sellers who answer them.

Pearl — the organic classic

Freshwater (the affordable workhorse, often off-round), saltwater (round,
pricier), shell pearls (coated, consistent, budget). Nacre hates perfume,
hairspray and dry storage — last thing on, first thing off. Deeper reading in
the pearl guide.

Crystal — the light-bender

Machine-cut lead-free crystal (the famous Austrian kind) for sparkle moments.
Expensive per bead — use as accents, not filler. Glued-vs-drilled matters:
drilled beads thread like any other, glued rhinestone chains need settings.

Metal — the structure

Spacers, focal beads, Bali-style granulation, base-metal and sterling.
Metal beads are jewellery's punctuation: they frame colour, add weight to
drape, and hide terminations. Mind plating wear at friction points.

The comparison table

Family	Weight	Cost	Best for
Glass	Light-mid	Low-mid	Everyday colour
Gemstone	Heavy	Mid-high	Value that lasts
Pearl	Light-mid	Mid-high	Classic drape
Crystal	Light	Mid	Sparkle accents
Metal	Heavy	Varies	Structure + finishing

Handling real material beats any table — the
workshop
puts all five families under your hands in a day.

What students say

“I will use the skills learnt to draw more designs for my company as we are now dealing a lot in fancy cut diamonds.”

— Darvina P. (Singapore) · published student feedback

“I intend to contribute articles to jewellery magazines and hope that someday I can be an authority in this field. That's a dream.”

— Yen Ting C. (Singapore) · published student feedback

Free ways to explore

No sign-up, no payment — start with any of these.

DDownload the gem e-bookFREE
The school's free guide to gems — reading companion to the webinars.FFree gem webinar replaysFREE
Full recorded sessions on gems and the jewellery trade.PPlay Name That GemFREE
The school's free gem-identification game — addictive.TThe complete course guideFREE
Every course, family and diploma in one PDF.

Keep exploring

5 stringing materials compared — cable, silk, nylon, elastic and leatherFive stringing materials compared by strength, drape, knot-ability and best use — pick theStringing fundamentals — knots, crimps and terminations that lastThe complete beginner guide to stringing bead jewellery — thread choices, crimping techniqBead jewellery photography — sell the piece, not the pictureHow to photograph bead jewellery for listings — light, backgrounds, scale, angles and cons10 beginner bead projects worth making firstTen bead jewellery projects ordered by skill — from a first stretch bracelet to a woven co

Turn beading into a certified skill

JDMIS in Singapore runs hands-on fashion jewellery and beading courses, from one-day workshops to a full Fashion Jewellery Arts diploma.

Visit jdmis.edu.sg